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RESEARCH, ANALYSIS & TRENDS

Automation is indispensable in

programmatic marketing

However, the marketer still cannot be fully replaced by
a machine, as the success still depends largely on a
well-planned campaign. Hence, the evaluation and in-
terpretation of the results for future projects (still) has to
be done by humans. Of course, real-time bidding (RTB)
plays a role here as well, which can certainly only be
taken on by machines. Fact is that programmatic mar-
keting definitely one thing when done right – it is accu-
rate.

With the right approach that gets to the point, advertis-
ing can no longer be perceived as intrusive, as the in-
tentions and the interests of the user are already dis-
closed. The consequence is benefit to the customer
which can be content of all kinds, instead of clumsy
The marketing industry entered an automated world and advertising. For example an offer that precisely meets
programmatic marketing will push this trend even fur- the customer’s demand or the answer to a question the
ther, taking the industry to the next level by layering da- user had just a second ago. Programmatic advertising
ta and using advanced algorithms to focus on a specific wants to do nothing else than serving the individual
target audience. customer in an ideal way. It treats the customer as an
individual, that is addressed specifically in the proper
According to digital standards, the term ‘programmatic context and that way avoids wastage circulation. How-
marketing” is not new. In fact, Digiday used it for the first ever, programmatic marketing is more than just simple
time in 2012 and the concept quickly found followers. re-targeting.
Since then it is haunting the net for many good reasons.
It combines three trendsetting characteristics that are The implementation of programmatic marketing can
considered as prestigious: happen in quite different ways, but needs first a good
starting point, which is only given if all relevant data is
1. It looks at customers as individuals, not as a mass on hand. It is not without good reason that programmat-
and not even as a group. ic marketing gets privacy advocates and cookie oppo-
nents to listen attentively.
2. It can be automated largely; only when creating and
evaluating the campaign a marketer has to intervene. Nevertheless, programmatic advertising still needs ca-
pable marketers who set up and evaluate campaigns.
3. Customers can be directly addressed in a targeted The actual process, however, is automatic. The large
way and there is little to no scattering and loss effect amounts of data and the second-by-second bidding
that makes programmatic marketing cost-effective. process on advertising space makes it inevitable. As
said, programmatic marketing software makes buying
If we can learn one thing from the success of Google, and negotiating for ad space simpler and more stream-
Apple or Amazon, it is that business success is derived lined, but algorithms cannot provide the sophisticated
from the fulfillment of customer needs. To fully under- analysis, customized campaigns, or advanced media
stand this is the first hurdle, however it is much more plans that the brainpower and intellect from a highly
difficult to answer the question of how to serve and sat- trained media team.
isfy all these needs.
It is a paradox that we, as human beings, can only
Besides, programmatic marketing does not leave it at manage this when we join forces with computers. Only
that, but aims at the interests of individuals: What you that way, the modern marketing players can imitate the
are looking for right now? What do you see? What do successful concepts of the industry giants, revealing
you want next? It is interested in recognizing the inten- the real reason why the effective programmatic market-
tion of the user to then display appropriate content that ing is unstoppable: It means to not only see and under-
does not necessarily seem to look like advertising – stand the customers, but to read the customer’s mind. ◊
generally in real-time and automatically.

By Daniela La Marca

6 Asian eMarketing June 2015 - Marketing Automation
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